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Francis Creighton

VP of Legislative Affairs, Mortgage Bankers Association

1. Describe your current position and what led you to your job?

I am an advocate on Capitol Hill for the mortgage banking industry. I build relationships with Members of Congress and their staffs and help educate them about the many issues that are important to the real estate finance industry. I worked on Capitol Hill for most of my career and when I applied for this position I knew most of the people and issues I would be working with. Affordable housing has always been a passion of mine, and I was excited to come over and help. The issues have changed over the years, and there is a great deal more focus on our industry today, but the focus has remained the same: how do we help people achieve the dream of homeownership, how do we ensure an adequate supply of quality, affordable rental housing, and how do we ensure the economic growth of our communities through a vibrant commercial real estate sector.

2. What has been the most rewarding moment in your career?

A friend of mine was elected to Congress a couple of years ago after a hard fought campaign. He is a great person and a fantastic Member of Congress. During his acceptance speech he said “And now, as your Congressman, I will…” and it was one of the most special moments I have ever had. To know that this person, this good person, was chosen by over a hundred thousand people to be their representative in Congress, was a moment when I saw that our political system really does work. Our government is a government of people, and the fact that he could be elected renewed my faith in our system.

3. What is the best career advice you have received?

To be kind to every single person you come into contact with. Everyone’s opinion matters, and everyone deserves to be heard.

4. What would you recommend to someone interested in working in your field?

Get politically active. Whether it is with your school board or volunteering on the Presidential campaign, get active. If you don’t love politics and believe in the possibilities of government service, than this isn’t the business for you.

5. What challenges have you faced and how did you successfully manage one situation?

The current situation in the mortgage and housing markets has, if nothing else, been challenging to deal with. Everyone wants to achieve the same goals: stabilize the market, help families behind on their payments stay in their homes and make sure that some of the problems we saw in the market do not happen again. But people of good will sometimes differ on how to achieve those goals. In the course of the last year, a number of well meaning ideas have been put forward that sound like great ways to help the situation. We have had to work hard to educate Members of Congress about why those options will result in negative outcomes. What we have done is assemble the best research available and practitioners who are on the front lines every day and go to Capitol Hill and make our case. When you believe in what you do, it can be frustrating when people disagree. Our job is to accept that frustration and move on to the next person and making your case again and again until you have built a majority.

6. What skills are necessary or what prepared you the most for your career?

During my graduate work at Georgetown I was immersed in quantitative and statistical work. I thought to myself that this was something I would never use in my professional life. I am continually surprised at how useful statistical and economic literacy has come to serve me well in my work on and off Capitol Hill.

This isn’t a skill, but what is absolutely necessary is a sense of personal ethics and responsibility. In the world of public service and advocacy, your word is all you have. And if you do something that destroys your credibility you might as well pack your bags and leave town, because you’ll never be able to get that back.

7. What professional associations have aided in your professional development?

The Georgetown alumni network is amazing. I am amazed by the people I work with professionally who are Georgetown Public Policy Institute alumni. This is particularly true in Congress, on both sides of the Capitol and both sides of the aisle.

8. Anything you would like to add?

People are cynical about our political system. I wish they weren’t. Great people come to this city motivated by a desire to achieve something larger than themselves. I have been honored to know so many public officials. I wish every American could get to meet these people, because if they did, they would be far more impressed than polls suggest they are today.